 | | Wildfires are coming. Is your go bag packed?Jae C. Hong/Associated Press |
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This time of year, it's always there — a kind of looming peril that tinges even the most perfect, blue-skied beach days and hikes. It's the knowledge that at any moment, a fire could spark anywhere in the state and consume hundreds of thousands of acres, level homes and threaten lives. |
In recent years, climate change has made wildfires bigger, hotter and faster. Last year, in particular, the sheer magnitude of the conflagrations and the plumes of toxic smoke they sent billowing over thousands of miles — all during a respiratory pandemic — served as a wake-up call for many: Once fire season is underway, it's too late to prepare. |
So, although there are already fires burning in California, we thought it would be useful to help you get ready. |
Why is this fire season likely to be so bad? |
First, all the reasons that wildfires in California have been particularly catastrophic in the last couple of decades are still very much present. The troubling trends are continuing. |
Those include the changing climate, in which extreme heat makes everything drier and thus more flammable. Plus there's the century-long policy of putting out every fire that sparks, which has actually made fires worse, because there's no room for new growth and fuel builds up. |
Also, more people live in places that are at risk of burning. |
What can the state do to prevent fires from raging out of control, damaging homes and communities? |
The broad consensus is that once fires are already tearing through millions of acres (as was the case last year) there's not much that can be done to control them except to try to keep them away from homes and other buildings with difficult, dangerous work done by a firefighting corps that has been exhausted. So, more attention has turned to longer-term fixes. |
That means more prescribed burns — or smaller, cooler fires set on purpose to clear out vegetation when there's more moisture in the air and weather conditions are less likely to blow a blaze out of control. |
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently unveiled a $2 billion proposal for fire-prevention efforts, including thinning out overgrown forests and more investment in firefighting equipment like planes and helicopters. |
Recently, my colleague Christopher Flavelle reported that California's insurance regulator backed major changes that would discourage new construction in those fire-prone areas by cutting off their access to the state's high-risk insurance pool. |
What are some of the challenges to making these things happen? |
Well, as you can imagine, any measures that significantly reshape the California real estate market face many obstacles. (The building industry immediately pushed back against the insurance policy change proposals, saying that standards for building are already strong enough to protect homes.) |
And the vegetation clearing is time-consuming, grueling work that often requires coordination between multiple state and federal agencies, plus private landowners. And needed progress on crucial fire prevention projects has been slower than Newsom has said, as CapRadio and NPR reported. |
What can I do to protect my home? |
You can take some of the steps laid out by my colleagues Marie Tae McDermott and Giulia Heyward. |
Here's what else to know today |
 | | Though essential workers like Monica Escopete, a registered nurse, were among the first eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, only about half of the police and firefighters in L.A. have been vaccinated.Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times |
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Compiled by Jonathan Wolfe |
 | | Lake Oroville, the state's second-largest reservoir, is at around 34 percent of its capacity.Aude Guerrucci/Reuters |
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Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter. |
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